POWAY  Poway voters will get a chance in June to decide whether to recall Betty Rexford from the City Council seat she has held for 15 years.

The county registrar of voters verified yesterday that recall petitions turned in last week with more than 6,300 signatures had enough from registered voters to qualify the item for the ballot. Recall supporters needed 5,657 valid signatures, or 20 percent of the city’s registered voters.

The council is expected Tuesday night to certify the election, which will be June 8 in conjunction with the statewide gubernatorial primary. It would be the first recall election in Poway since the city was incorporated in 1980.

That will trigger a five-week window in which candidates wanting to replace Rexford, if she is recalled, can take out papers for the office. So far, six people have said they will run to fill the final five months of Rexford’s term, and more candidates are expected.

Whoever wins would then have to run again in November if that person wants to serve a four-year term. Rexford, 69, has said she will not seek a fifth term. Nothing, however, would prohibit her from running again if she were recalled in June.

Rexford did not return a call yesterday seeking comment on the recall election being put on the ballot.

“It’s a great day for Poway,” said resident Steve Vaus, who led the recall movement. The effort began last fall after the other four City Council members asked Rexford to resign. She had been accused in a lawsuit of abusing her authority by pressuring city employees to interfere with the construction and permitting of two homes being built next to her house. The city spent about $500,000 to settle the case and pay legal fees.

Rexford has denied wrongdoing and has refused to step down. In a news release two months ago, Rexford accused the other council members of making her a scapegoat to cover up the city’s culpability.

“My colleagues wanted to deflect attention from their caving in to the lawsuit. … Now, when they run for re-election and voters ask why they spent so much money, they can say, ‘It wasn’t my fault — it was Betty Rexford’s.’ ”

Rexford said she wanted to see the case tried in court “because I knew I would be found innocent of any impropriety.”

Nothing can stop the recall election now, City Clerk Linda Troyan said. Even if Rexford were to resign before the election — something she has given no indication she will do — under state law the question would have to appear on the ballot.

In the past 30 years, only five recall elections involving city council members have been held in the county. In 1981, three San Marcos council members retained their seats. The same year, two Oceanside councilmen, Bill Bell and Ray Burgess, were recalled. In 1991, Oceanside Councilwoman Melba Bishop survived a recall effort, but San Diego 5th District Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt did not.